Cardiff University Library

Cardiff University Library

The University libraries hold over 1.3 million printed books, and provide access to more than 775,000 online books and journals. Our libraries each specialise in particular subjects, and are located across the University’s campuses.

Our collections

We have over 1.3 million books and journals in our libraries and a continually growing range of online resources.

Our modern libraries are spread across our campuses and feature specialist libraries such as architecture, health, law, music and science. We subscribe to thousands of electronic journals and books and hundreds of databases.

Our Special Collections preserve, promote and develop our historical and special research resources. They range across topics including Welsh, humanities and social sciences, music, science and medicine.

We also offer access to substantial information about the European Union and the wider Europe, both in paper and electronic form, in the European Documentation Centre.

Electronic collections

We offer access to a wide range of electronic resources, eBooks and eJournals, which are available to University researchers, staff and students, including the Economist Historical Archive, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, Digimap Collections, Datastream, Migration to New Worlds, Mass Observation Online Archive, MLA International Bibliography, Lyell Collection, Royal Society of Chemistry Gold Collection, MarinLit, SciFinder and Detail Inspiration.

Print collections

We have many unique print collections in our libraries in addition to those held in our special collections.

British national daily and weekend newspapers

The Bute Library subscribes to all British national daily and weekend newspapers as well as the Western Mail and South Wales Echo. These are held for one year in the Newspaper Room in the South corridor. Bute Library also has the archive of the Observer (1900-2002) and the Daily Express (1974-1978) available on microfilm.

Osman Collection

The Osman Collection is named after Colin Osman, long-time Editor of Creative Camera and associate of Tom Hopkinson when he was editor of the South African journal, Drum. The collection includes historic magazines, books, sound-recordings and photojournalism and can be accessed via the Bute Library.

Cochrane Archive

The Cochrane Archive is a comprehensive record of the life, work and achievements of Archibald Leman Cochrane CBE FRCP FFCM (1909-1988). The Archive includes photographs, personal items and professional papers providing a rich resource for research on Archie Cochrane’s life and professional career.